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GameMastery Guide / Player Characters / Player Interactions

Flake

Source GameMastery Guide pg. 73
The flake player is one that proves his type over a period of time. He might initially show up on time, fired up and ready to take on the world, but by the fourth game session he’s apologizing for not showing up the week before. Suddenly he’s showing up every third session, probably late, and looking to pick up where he left off.

Now the GM has a potential conflict. While the flake has been gone, the other players have advanced their characters a few levels and he’s behind them with an unresolved subplot. What should you do?

First off, talk privately to the player to determine the reasons he hasn’t been showing up. Sometimes life demands that we shift our attention elsewhere, and other players are generally understanding of those situations. Maybe there are interparty conflicts or a particular storyline that’s been making the game less appealing. It’s all about communication; no player should make other players wait 30 minutes to see if he’s going to show up this week. Respecting other people’s time goes a long way toward cultivating goodwill.

Since any player can potentially turn into a flake, it’s useful to avoid creating adventures that revolve around every player being present. It’s fine to assume that a particular character participates in the adventure (run by you, if need be), but hinging everyone’s fun on any one character makes it easy to be disappointed.

It’s good to have explicit rules for how you want to handle missing players. You might assign a penalty on earned experience if a player misses a game session, while letting him stay fairly close to the rest of the group in terms of advancement even when circumstances conspire to keep him away. This generally balances itself out over time, and everyone ends up fairly close in experience (making it much easier for you to plan encounters).

To be respectful of others, try using e-mail or other electronic means to have players RSVP to the gaming session. This lets everyone know who is showing up. And if something happens at the last minute, players can contact everyone to let the group know.

If a player missing out on sessions truly cripples a group, consider using NPCs to fill the same role. The rest of the party can temporarily adopt or hire these NPCs to make up for missing skills, and the NPC’s wages are a small price to pay for a well-timed fireball or backstab— especially if they come out of the missing character’s share of treasure.

Archives of Nethys

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Flake